Tag: pets

I want to talk about a very common misconception I see, particularly in those working on behaviours that are related to fear/stress/anxiety: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞.

It’s an easy mistake to make. We’ve all seen it: a dog is near a trigger, we offer a high-value treat, and they take it. We assume the dog is comfortable because they’re taking food. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

For dogs that are normally quite foody, if they suddenly won’t take food, it is likely that they are too stressed to do so. They’re telling you they are over their coping threshold. Remember though, that some dogs are just not interested in food in certain situations. Keep an eye on their body language to see if they look stressed or not. They may be more interested in environmental reinforcers, using their senses, and exploring; they may enjoy what the environment can give them, like digging, splashing, watching a squirrel, or just getting on with their walk.

But, coming back to the reason for this post. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 “𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠!” 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 “𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭!”. Judging their internal state purely on if they are taking food is NOT a good marker for them. We HAVE to look at other things too, like their body language, breathing, and so on.

When a dog takes a treat in this state, they’re stuck in a “wobble” between two powerful motivations (the desire to take food, and desire to feel safe). 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫; it can actually cause more stress and lead to unpredictable behaviours as they struggle to cope. 𝐓𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟: 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 (𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫)? 𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒆𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒓

Before we even consider counter-conditioning or desensitisation processes, we must look at the whole picture. 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠; 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠. Asking these questions is crucial and MUST be considered before beginning other coaching:

– Physical Health: Could your dog be in pain or discomfort? Are there other medical issues to factor in, or not yet diagnosed? Any underlying medical issue can contribute to your dog’s behavioural output.

– Diet: Is their diet meeting all their nutritional needs? What they eat can directly impact their mood, health, what’s going on in their brain, and energy levels.

– Sleep: Is your dog getting enough quality rest? Like us, a lack of sleep can make dogs less able to cope with stress, and effects their physical health.

– Decompression: Are they getting opportunities to simply be a dog? Walks on a long line in a quiet field or garden can allow them to sniff and decompress without the pressure of triggers. Are we offering decompression activities on walks, and at home?

𝑺𝒐 – 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒕?

– Prioritise their body language over treats: before you even reach for the treat bag, look at your dog. Are they yawning? Licking their lips? Is their mouth tight? Can you see the whites of their eyes? These are all signs they are feeling uneasy. Are they trying to put space between themselves and the trigger, either by them moving away, or “looking scary” to make the trigger move?

– Manage distance: distance is a dog’s best friend. If your dog is stressed by other dogs, people, or traffic, work at a distance where they are visibly calm and relaxed. If they’re pulling or showing any signs of stress, you are too close. A common example I see with this being done incorrectly, is asking a dog who is worried by strangers, to take a treat out of the strangers hand. If the dog is motivated enough by food, they probably will take it. Then they’re next to the thing they’re scared of. This can easily cause conflict and will not actually help them with their feelings about strangers.

– Control the volume: remember that every trigger adds to the “volume” of a situation. Just because your dog can cope with one person walking past, doesn’t mean they can cope with a whole group. Work on one trigger at a time and slowly build up. Similarly, one calm, senior dog, might be easier for the dog reactive dog to be around, than a collie who is barking whilst waiting for a ball to come out of somebody’s pocket.

Food can be really helpful in training when used right, but it’s only one part of the picture, and this is why so many people find behavioural coaching using reinforcers “does not work” – they haven’t considered all of the factors, they could be asking too much, the environment might be wrong, or the way they’re doing things might not work for that individual dog. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬’ 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞.

If you want to learn more about dog behaviour and increasing their agency within coaching, then get a copy of my book Empowering Your Dog Through Choice on Amazon.

Sally Lewis 2025

As dog guardians, we all want to enjoy peaceful walks and a calm, happy home life with our companions. When our dog pulls on the leash, barks at other dogs, or seems anxious, it’s natural to feel frustrated and seek a solution. You may have heard about prong collars and been told they are a quick and effective tool. However, based on my professional experience and scientific research, I want to explain why I do not recommend them and why they often create more problems than they solve.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦: 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

A prong collar works by causing discomfort or pain when a dog pulls, lunges, or a correction is applied through the lead. The blunted prongs apply pressure to the neck, and while the pain may be momentary, the psychological impact can be lasting. A dog quickly learns that pulling or reacting can lead to an uncomfortable sensation.

This creates a constant state of apprehension for the dog. They are not learning to walk behave differently because the cause of the behaviour has improved, they are doing so to avoid discomfort. This constant anxiety can turn a once-enjoyable walk into a stressful experience, where the dog is always on edge, anticipating a correction.

𝐏𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝐖𝐡𝐲”

This is one of the most critical reasons to avoid prong collars. Challenging behaviours like reactivity, leash pulling, or general overstimulation are not random acts that your dog does to spite you or to be difficult. They are often symptoms of an underlying issue, such as:

Pain: A dog that is reactive or growls when approached may be experiencing chronic joint pain and is trying to protect themselves.
Frustration: A dog that constantly pulls on the leash may be frustrated because they are not getting enough enrichment, exercise, or a chance to sniff and explore.
Anxiety or fear: Barking at other dogs or people is often a symptom of an anxious or fearful dog who is trying to create distance.
Overstimulation: A dog that appears to be “disobedient” on a walk might simply be overstimulated and overwhelmed by their environment.
This is not an exhaustive list of reasons, but a few common causes.

A prong collar completely ignores these root causes. It punishes the symptom—the pulling, the lunging, the barking—but does nothing to resolve the underlying cause.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

When you use a prong collar, you are not teaching your dog a new, desired behaviour, or improving the cause; you are simply suppressing the unwanted behaviour. This can be dangerous for several reasons:

Only teaching avoidance: the dog is simply learning what to avoid. True, lasting training involves teaching a dog to make good choices because they are rewarding, enjoyable, or fun, not because they are afraid of the alternative.
Behavioural fallout: when a dog’s natural response is suppressed without the underlying cause being addressed, that behaviour often resurfaces in a different, and sometimes more dangerous, form. For example, a dog that was reactive but is now quiet because of the prong collar may suddenly become aggressive without a warning, as their stress and anxiety were never resolved.

𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩

A strong, trusting relationship with your dog is built on mutual respect, understanding of needs, and two-way communication. A tool that relies on pain and fear can severely damage this bond. We want our relationships with our best friend to be built on trust, and you can teach your dog to behave differently without using anything that will cause them stress.

𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬

There are many humane and effective ways to train your dog without resorting to painful tools.

Root Causes: the first step is to identify and address the root cause of your dog’s behaviour. This may involve a comprehensive assessment to rule out pain, as well as exploring all other potential factors contributing to your dog’s behaviour.
Ethical, choice based methods: ethical methods usually avoid intentional use of fear or harsh handling, will give your dog a voice (an up to date professional should be teaching you how to recognise subtle signs of stress), and explore ways to coach them using kind methods that give them agency.
Front-clip harnesses for strong pullers: for dogs that are strong pullers that you might be struggling to manage, a front-clip harness may help, while you work on the causes for the pulling itself. This might involve some emotional coaching and lead walking training. Choose a Y shaped harness, not one that restricts movement of the shoulders.

By choosing humane and ethical methods, you will build a stronger, happier, and more trusting relationship with your best friend, while working towards your behaviour and training goals.

Sally Lewis 2025

I am asked for dog walker recommendations a lot. There’s a lot of dog walkers around, with so many new ones popping up regularly. I thought it would be more useful for me to share my dog walker “green flags”. There are no regulations for those working in the dog care industry (the only thing that is regulated is veterinary care) so to be a dog walker, there is no minimum level of qualification or experience working with dogs required.

🐾 They ask lots of questions about your dog’s behaviour, their likes, dislikes, and what makes them “them”. This shows that they are more likely to be able to cater to your dog’s individual needs and are interested in doing this.

 🐾 They have taken time to learn about dog body language from reputable sources, and can evidence this understanding in one way or another. Anyone working with dogs professionally should be able to read dog body language, and you don’t just learn this from spending time around dogs a lot. I’ve taught people that have had dogs for 40+ years new things about body language. Being able to read body language is essential for making sure any dogs in their care are happy. If there are things causing them worry or discomfort then the walker will be able to recognise this if they can read the dog’s body language.

 🐾 They’ve taken time to learn about dog behavioural basics including recognising when a dog is becoming overwhelmed, how the environment impacts the dog, and some breed-based behaviours.

🐾 If they offer group walks, they carefully consider the compatibility of different dogs, and don’t just lump them together without managed introductions. If they tell you your dog doesn’t quite fit in with any of their groups, it is because they’re looking out for your dog and also the others. Sadly, many dogs have come to me for behavioural changes after going on a group walk, and being put in to a group that probably wasn’t right for them, with no managed introduction to the group.

 🐾 They recognise potential for resource guarding on group walks and manage accordingly, to prevent tension and conflict between the dogs. That might mean your dog doesn’t get to play with their favourite squeaky toy on their walks, because the other dogs might also really want that toy and there aren’t enough to go around.

 🐾 THEY ARE INSURED – anyone working professionally with dogs should be insured.

 🐾 Their ethics as a dog walker are clear from the outset, in terms of their approach, ethos, and values. They may even hold some dog behaviour qualifications, dog walking qualifications, or can evidence some understanding of dog behaviour beyond just liking dogs.

 🐾 They will not let your dog off-lead unless they are confident in their recall and if it is safe for them to spend time off-lead. I’ve known dogs get lost when this has not been considered. It doesn’t mean the dog can’t spend time on a long line, though, and they can still have a fun enriching walk.

🐾 They prioritise your dog’s welfare above all else and will advocate for them when they are in their care.

 🐾 They respect your wishes for your dog providing that they aren’t being asked to do anything that is not in the interest of the dog’s overall welfare. I know how scary it can be letting somebody else walk your dog, it requires a lot of trust. That trust needs to be respected. If your wishes aren’t being respected (e.g. “please don’t take him to the beach as it’s a bit busy for him there”, “he doesn’t like walking around our estate so please could you take him to XX place instead”) then that would concern me.

 🐾 They are not harsh with your dog and do not use aversive training methods. They support the use of ethical training, and compassionate methods.

 🐾 They know their limits. A dog walker is a fantastic part of the team around the dog but does not replace the role of a qualified behaviourist, or a vet (some behaviourists may offer dog walking services in some circumstances for their clients, and this is a bit different of course). If the dog is experiencing complex behavioural challenges (for example, reactivity), this can be discussed with the family, who may choose to employ the help of a behaviourist. I am always keen for dog walkers to get involved with supporting ongoing behavioural coaching if any of their clients have come to me, and am even happy for the walker to come to sessions if they’d like to, so we are all on the same page and understand the causes for the behaviour, as well as steps we’re going to take to help with the behaviour. The dog walker can then put in to practice our coaching strategies and management on walks, and provide greater consistency. They aren’t expected to come to sessions, but at the very least, I always suggest to my clients that they share my recommendations and assessment with their dog walker.

 🐾 They are respectful of other dogs, people, and livestock in the environment when they’re out on walks.

 🐾 If travelling with you dog in their vehicle, the set up is suitable for the safety and comfort of your dog.

🐾 They are aware of dog law in their local area (set by both central government and district councils), and follow this.

🐾 They are reliable, timely, and trustworthy. They keep your dog safe.

🐾 To add in some information about boarding and sitting. Dog boarding (looking after your dog in their home) requires licensing by the council. They should have a license number and should display this clearly. Dog sitting (looking after a dog in your home) does not need a license.

🐾 They are transparent about their experience and where it comes from. They should not blur the lines between their experience working with dogs, and their experience simply having a dog in their life, because this is not that fair to potential clients. Having dogs in your life, and working with dogs, are two different things, and I do think that they should be treated as such. For example, a dog walker who is twenty years of age may say “ten years working with dogs” when they had family dogs as a child (they wouldn’t have been working with dogs at the age of ten). Or, a dog walker who is sixty years of age, may say “forty years working with dogs”, when they set up a dog walking business two years ago (meaning two years professional experience) and had their own dog prior to this (this time should not be classed as professional experience, because it is not). Of course, if they say “eight years working with dogs, plus five years caring for my own”, this is different, clearer, and honest.

🐾 They are clear in their communication with you and keep you updated as according to your agreed schedule. They update you as to what your dog got up to on their walk(s) and how these have gone.

Dog walkers can be a great part of your support network, “team around the dog”, and it can be helpful for your dog to form a positive relationship with a walker in case you need to employ their walking or sitting services.

If you are a dog walker and you are looking to learn more about dog behaviour, dog law, dog law, group matching, walking sensitive dogs, and further knowledge to make you stand out of the crowd – read about my Wellbeing on Walks Online Programme for Dog Walkers ,which you can find by clicking this link.

There is a bit of a rise in use of slip leads as a training tool, due to trends that are being set by social media trainers. I am seeing them more and more. Slip leads are generally advised against as a training tool, by trainers and behaviourists who are appropriately qualified and up to date in dog behaviour. Some claim that they mimic corrections that a mother dog would apply to puppies, but this is simply untrue. You are also not a dog, you are a human.

People are sometimes surprised that slip leads are classed as an ‘aversive’ training tool, in the same way that we may consider a prong collar aversive, an e-collar aversive, or a citronella collar aversive. This might be because the idea of a prong collar is a lot more offensive to us as humans, than a slip lead, because they look more barbaric.

The real issue with slip leads are when they are:

1. Put on dogs that pull on a lead (risk of physical damage including a collapsed trachea, damage to the thyroid, optical nerve, spinal column…the list goes on!)

2. Used as a training tool to deliver ‘corrections’. This risk is also present when lead corrections are delivered using a flat collar and lead.

Some balanced trainers recommend using a slip lead (or flat collar and lead) to correct behaviour from the dog. This usually involves a sharp jerk to the lead to apply pressure to the neck. Due to the discomfort that this causes, the learning theory behind this is that the dog learns when I do this behaviour, this thing I don’t like happens to me. If I don’t do it, the thing I don’t like won’t happen. Aversive, by its very nature, means to cause a dislike or disinclination (to do something). Here are potential issues:

1. Physical damage to structures in the neck (as mentioned above) which can lead to both short and long term health impacts.

2. Behavioural suppression – the cause for the behaviour is still there, going untreated, which presents a welfare issue. Let’s say we have a dog that is reactive to other dogs. By delivering corrections when they react, they actually learn that being in the presence of dogs may bring them further stress. They may stop reacting to avoid that new stressor of lead corrections, but the cause for the reactivity (which sometimes includes pain, as well as things like fear, anxiety, and frustration) are still very much present. Can you imagine being in pain and scared, and then yanked around the neck whenever you communicate that you’re worried by the thing in front of you? It is worth noting that behavioural suppression can lead to both acute (short term) and chronic (long term) stress, is sometimes temporary (one day your quick fix won’t work anymore), and when the lid comes off the pressure cooker, things are usually worse than they were before OR we have new complex behaviours to deal with too.

3. Distrust of humans around them or person walking them, who are no longer acting as their advocates and instead delivering regular punishments. It takes far longer to rebuild trust than it does to destroy it.

4. Dislike of walking equipment/going for walks. This doesn’t always happen, sometimes a dog can look excited at the sight of a lead, this doesn’t mean they like the lead and just means they want to go out and that is the only way they will end up doing it.

5. Associations you don’t expect your dog to make. If you are delivering punishments in the form of lead corrections, and your timing is even a fraction of a second out, it’s possible your dog is making associations with other things in their environment instead. That car going past when you think they might react to a dog? Yep, they could associate the correction with traffic. The child laughing nearby when they start pulling to get to a smell? They could well associate the correction with the child. This can quickly result in declining behaviour and further problems.

6. Worsening associations with the stimulus, e.g. a dog that reacts to other dogs may get worse over time (even if the corrections seem to work temporarily).

7. Redirected aggression, this can include on to the person holding the lead.

But my dog pulls on their lead…what should I do instead?

If your dog pulls on the lead, the best thing you can put them in for walks is an appropriately fitted harness. This will prevent them damaging the sensitive structures in their neck. There is a bit of a myth that harnesses cause pulling, but they don’t. There are lots of reasons behind pulling, a harness isn’t one of them. Using a two-point harness than is appropriately balancing for the dog can help if your dog pulls in a harness, but if your dog pulls on a lead then it is important you determine why they’re doing this (there are lots of reasons!) and put together an appropriate training plan which may also involve emotional coaching or even vet treatment, depending on the reasons for the pulling.

It’s worth noting that a dog will need desensitising to a harness if they have never worn one before.

But my dog is reactive…

If your dog is reactive, the best way you can help them is by getting to the bottom of why this is, and put together a suitable lifestyle & coaching plan with the help of a behaviourist who has appropriate experience with reactivity and aggression. You don’t need to use harsh methods. I specialise in reactivity and have worked with dogs from 4kg to 70kg. Management strategies will of course be incredibly strict for a 70kg dog, but we haven’t had to revert to harsh methods to help them. Instead, we get to the bottom of the behaviour, help them with their internal ‘equilibrium’, and then start coaching in the situations where they need help, keeping them under threshold (that means feeling safe and not reacting).

It is worth noting that I’m not damning the use of slip leads in all situations. As a general rule, I don’t use them, and don’t advocate for their use. I ask my clients not to use them. But, if I needed to get a dog out of a building in an emergency evacuation, this might be an appropriate time to use one quickly.

If you have a dog that absolutely never pulls on a lead, they don’t pose the physical or emotional harm risk that they would if they did pull. It is very hard to guarantee a dog will never do this, though, or that you won’t accidentally put tension on their lead.

In short, putting slip leads on dogs as a training tool is unwise and you mind find in the long run, you have to work hard to unpick new issues you may not have had originally.

Sally Lewis 2023

This post is a bit blunt but I need to share it. I don’t share this so bluntly to lecture people, I share it because I really care about dog and child safety, and it breaks my heart whenever I read about a child getting bitten, or I see a preventable situation being filmed and shared on social media instead.

There is a rise in dog bites in the UK at the moment, which is really concerning. A very large percentage of reported bites happen in the family home. What else is concerning is the amount of videos I see DAILY of children being filmed behaving completely inappropriately around dogs, where the dog is giving off a lot of communication to say “I don’t like this”, and it isn’t being seen by the adults supervising because they don’t know what they’re looking for. But some of the stuff I’m seeing…it’s just common sense not to let that happen?

Examples of videos I have seen in the last 24 hours alone…

1. Children riding on dogs like a horse

2. Children hitting dogs because they don’t know how to be gentle with them yet

3. Children pulling ears and tails

4. Children approaching sleeping dogs and literally flicking their bits and pieces

5. Children approaching dogs that are eating from their food bowl and trying to stroke them

6. Children wrapping arms around dogs to hug them because they love them (not every dog enjoys a hug and we should always make sure that this sort of thing is consent based)

7. Babies crawling in to a dog’s safe space when the dog has moved to get away

8. Dogs that had children running around & screaming in close quarters, were barking at the children but didn’t have any way to get away from it, or didn’t feel able to move away (in this situation we need to step in and separate)

9. Children continually trying to stroke dogs who are communicating that they don’t want to be stroked right now

This stuff is NOT OK. One day, the tolerant dog won’t be tolerant anymore and it’s our job to prevent these situations.

I’ve worked with hundreds of dogs. Many of the dogs I see have a bite history, because they were put in a situation that just pushed them too far and they had no other way to say please get away from me. Most are great communicators and that communication just wasn’t recognised.

A growl is WAY up the ladder of communication, there’s actually so much that comes before that.

What did I see in every single one of these videos?

Whale eyes (wide eyes showing the whites of eyes). Lip licking. Yawns. Narrowed eyes. Looking away from the child. Facial tension. Ears back. Appeasement licking (a couple of quick licks to the child accompanied with other stress signals and a quick look away post-lick).

ALL signs that a dog is stressed and is asking for space. It doesn’t matter if they’re wagging their tail because there are a lot of different tail wags, not all mean a dog is happy. Please note this isn’t an exhaustive list of ways that dogs say they don’t like situations.

As adults, it is OUR responsibility to actively supervise dogs and children in their interactions, ensuring the interactions are safe for both parties. That means 100% attention on them, not on phones or the tv. It means that we should be able to recognise unsafe interactions and prevent them from happening. It also means that we need to be able to read our dog’s body language and prevent situations that are causing them stress.

Other things we need to take in to account:

1. If a dog is in pain or a bit sore then they will be less tolerant (this doesn’t only apply to senior dogs)

2. If a dog is a bit older then they might prefer their space, they might have some vision or hearing loss so be more easily startled, they might be more prone to being sore and tired

3. Dogs feel different on different days, just like we do. If we know a dog has had a bit of a stressful day then they may respond differently to things, than they would on a ‘normal’ day.

4. Every dog is an individual and some feel different about children generally, to other dogs.

Sometimes children just want to love your family dog but don’t know how to do that in a dog-appropriate way yet, and we need to guide them. Here is an example from my morning today. My daughter was playing with a bouncy ball on a rubber chain and was bouncing it towards my dog because she wanted to show it to him. Some dogs may have wanted to play with this, some dogs might not have liked it. The reality is my dog was not bothered by it at all, but it is my responsibility to make sure they’re both happy and to teach dog-safe interactions, because one day she might meet a dog who doesn’t like it.

I stepped forward and stopped her. “Dogs might not like that because he doesn’t really understand what your bouncy ball is, it’s a bit big and loud sounding. It’s nice that you want to play with him. Would you like to help fill up his treat ball with some breakfast?”

An easy redirection in to an appropriate activity that helped my daughter to feel included and involved, that was more appropriate. If children are not old enough to understand these sort of instructions or explanations than you must use management. It is as simple as that.

If you don’t know how to read your dog’s body language and would like to learn how to recognise the MANY steps that come before a growl, I offer consultations to go through this, and there is a chapter on dog body language in my book Empowering Your Dog Through Choice (only £9.99 on Amazon). The book also includes information on choice in the home, interactions, consent, the emotional bucket, and the jigsaw puzzle of behaviour which is all important to know if your dog is living with, or spending time around children.

My children’s book Dogs Can Talk! is also a fantastic read for children & families, to learn more about dog body language together. Also on Amazon. This is an interactive story for children, with more detailed notes for parents, plus activities at the end.

In my opinion understanding all of this is such an important part of caring for a dog, it’s essential behavioural understanding, and knowing how to read your dog’s more subtle body language will help with bite prevention, not just now but with all dogs you spend time around throughout your life.

Sally Lewis 2023